Vaporizers Gain Popularity Among Marijuana Smokers

A growing number of marijuana smokers are choosing to use vaporizers, which are similar to e-cigarettes, according to USA Today.

The popularity of the devices is changing the way marijuana is packaged and sold in states where it is legal.

The vaporizers, known as "vape pens," are compact and portable.

Steve DeAngelo, a marijuana entrepreneur and activist who founded the Harborside Health Center medical marijuana dispensary in Oakland, California, says his dispensary does about half of its business in raw marijuana leaf or flowers. The rest are sold as edibles or concentrates, some of which are prepackaged for use in vape pens. "The percentage of raw (pot) flowers we sell has been dropping steadily," he said. "The percent of extracts and concentrates ... has been rising steadily." Some vape pens use concentrated marijuana extractions, while others use marijuana leaves and flowers.

"This really portends the next generation of marijuana use," John Lovell, a Sacramento attorney and lobbyist for the California Narcotics Officers' Association and California Police Chiefs Association, told the newspaper. His group is concerned about the high-strength concentrates used in vape pens. Concentrates can be composed of as much as 80 percent or 90 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Others are concerned that vape pens allow teens to smoke marijuana without being detected, because the pens leave no odor.

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